Binchtopia

The girlies dive deep into the micro-trends that have been populating the internet over the last few years. From cottage-core to ballet-core, clean girl to mob wife, they rank microaesthetics based on the level of abject harm they cause to women, the pedophilic undertones, and whether or not they make their brains Soup. Digressions include welcoming Ballerina Farm into the NYT club and digging up dirt on the other Mormon influencers.

This is a teaser for a Patreon-exclusive episode. Become a patron and listen to the full episode at patreon.com/binchtopia (http://patreon.com/binchtopia).

The girlies hop into the meme pool to investigate how memes are made, why they spread, and what happens when the worst moments of someone's life follow them forever in the memeiverse. Digressions include a mysterious case of Souping, the Binchtopia infirmary ward, and one listener's horrifying baby Jesus figurine.

Sources:

• Slayed, Mother: Gypsy Rose's Digital Homecoming by Jax Preyer
• The Meme is Dead, Long Live the Meme by Roy Christopher
• Talking to the Guy Who Invented the Word 'Meme': Richard Dawkins by Mahmood Fazal
• Taking the Dawkins Challenge, or, The Dark Side of the Meme by Gregory Schrempp
• Alex From Target: The Other Side of Fame
• Alix Bromley Adjudication
• Internet Memes and "The Right to Privacy"
• Most Americans support right to have some personal info removed from online searches
• As a domestic violence victim, my story became a joke.
• You Know the Lorena Bobbitt Story. But Not All of It
• The Definitive Oral History of the Bobbitt Case, 25 Years Later
• Accidentally famous: The psychology of going viral
• Monica Lewinsky Wins The Internet With Best 'I Have A Joke' Tweet
• The last of the Monica meme
• Monica Lewinsky on the Culture of Humiliation

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The girlies dissect the case of America's newly freed sweetheart, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Julia puts her PhD studies to use and guides us through the history of Munchausen by proxy, opening up an exploration of why people make themselves and others sick, and how the "bad mom" trope reifies social anxieties around motherhood and care. Digressions include our time in the Stu, the depths of our notesapp, and a bold mailbox moments. To see the video version of this episode and to keep up with our bonus content, subscribe at patreon.com/binchtopia

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In the first episode of the New Year, the girlies investigate a cultural concept that plagues us all in the new year: The Makeover. From the transformative promise of the American Dream to hit shows like What Not to Wear and The Biggest Loser, they discuss how "the makeover" seeks to ease cultural anxieties, reify the status quo, and affirm that changing ones appearance can change ones life. Digressions include one listener who found Eliza's twin at the Margaritaville restaurant in Orlando, another who hears our voices in their schizoaffective delusion, and the world's need for a one dance.

SOURCES:

Eliza

• Makeover Nation: The United States of Reinvention by Toby Miller
• The Makeover: Reality Television and Reflexive Audiences by Katherine Sender
• The Great American Makeover: Television, History, Nation by Dana Heller
• 'Oh goodness, I am watching reality TV' How methods make class in audience research
• Notes on What Not to Wear and Post-feminist Symbolic Violence
• Spirituality Among Americans: Spiritual Beliefs by Pew Research Center
• Americans Take Prescriptions a Large Portion of Their Lives
• Can I Please Give You Some Advice?: Clueless and the Teen Makeover by Alice Leppert

Julia

• Makeover TV: Selfhood, Citizenship, and Celebrity by Brenda Weber

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The girlies hop on the mic for the last time this year to recap a timeline of the memes, celebrity relationships, and silly internet shit that captured our attention in 2023. Digressions include a failed STD test and He Need A One Dance.

If you'll miss us on our break, you can find bonus episodes, mediasodes, monthly zoom meetings, and more on Patreon

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The girlies open up the mailbox and dedicate an entire episode to your hilarious moments. We're with you through the hard times (salmonella Tinder date) and the good times (dislodging pasta from beneath your fingertip by cooking it soft). Thanks for another year of being our listeners. Digressions include predictions for who will be woman'd in 2024 and our made-up idioms.

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The girlies return to the world of family vloggers to answer the important questions — how did the momfluencer come to be and why are we so obsessed with her? Can children ever meaningfully consent to being shared online? Did Jean Baudrillard predict our real life Truman Show with Simulacra and Simulation in 1981? Digressions include your newest NY Times covergirls, the Binchtopia Boy Draft, and one listener's experience as an assistant momager. Support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/binchtopia

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. This episode was edited by Allison Hagan.

*note: we hit the character limit for this description -- additional sources for this episode are linked on our Patreon!

SOURCES:

Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture

Simulacra and Simulation

Are We To Be Forever Trapped Between the Two? The Internet, Modernity, and Postmodernity in the Early 21st Century

Child-produced content and the simulation of childhood

New law entitles child social media influencers to a percentage of earnings

Why did Mark Zuckerberg cover his kids' faces on Instagram?

Their lives were documented online from birth. Now, they're coming of age

The YouTube Parents Who are Turning Family Moments into Big Bucks

Kidfluencers Are Today's Version of Chimney Sweeps

Research Brief: "Sharenting" and Child Influencers

Sharenting: parent blogging and the boundaries of the digital self

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The girlies revisit a classic early Binchtopia episode to unpack the phenomenon of child-centric content — this time with sources! In Part 1 they discuss the history of child labor in America including the plight of minor miners, the exploitation of Shirley Temple, and why we LOVE watching videos of Trisha Paytas playing with Malibu Barbie. Digressions include Eliza's experience of buying Buddhism in Hollywood, Catholic mantras that go hard, and listener-submitted momager stories.

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. This episode was edited by Allison Hagan.

SOURCES:

History of child labor in the United States—part 1: little children working

History of child labor in the United States–part 2: the reform movement

There's No Business Like Show Business: Child Entertainers and the Law

More Than Pocket Money: A History of Child Actor Laws

Little Miss Fix-It: The Remarkable Life of Shirley Temple

Before The Good Ship Lollipop, Shirley Temple Did 'Baby Burlesks'

How cute things hijack our brains and drive behaviour

Assessing the cuteness of children: Significant factors and gender differences

Gendering Cuteness

Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting

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The girlies go soapbox mode to discuss two women in history that they can't stop thinking about: their special interest girlbosses. Julia tells the fascinating story of Annie Oakley, the most snatched sharpshooter of all time, and Eliza gets deep into the lore of Connie Converse, the mysterious (gay?) 50's songwriter who pioneered the genre before disappearing without a trace. Plus, more Kardashian discourse, an angel update, and homophobia-themed mailbox moments. To help keep these episodes ad-free, access bonus episodes, and support the podcast, head to patreon.com/binchtopia

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. This episode was edited by Allison Hagan.

SOURCES

The true story of Annie Oakley, legendary sharpshooter

Annie Oakley | National Women's History Museum.

What the True Story of Buffalo Bill Reveals About the Myth of the Wild West

Annie Oakley: In A Man's World

Annie Oakley: The Person

To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse by Howard Fishman

The Art of Disappearance by Hanif Abdurraqib

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The girlies are back with another Eerie Episode™, this time covering all things WITCHES! They go back into the annuls to unpack the history of European witchery, the Salem Witch trials, voodoo, the current-day Wicca practitioners, and the Etsy spell sellers of today. They discuss "witch" as a socially imposed category and the evolution of witchy practices throughout history. Digressions include some Russian witch tea from a listener and Khloe Kardashian's unfortunate lot in this life as a Victim Soul.

Binchtopia is created, produced, and hosted by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb. Research for this episode was contributed by Ben Rosenfeld and Charlie Squire.

Sources:

The Devil in the Shape of a Woman

A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials

Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England

Why Do Witches Ride Brooms? (NSFW)

Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation

Drawing Down the Moon : Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today

Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America

Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Neopaganism and Witchcraft

Perceptions of New Orleans Voodoo: Sin, Fraud, Entertainment, and Religion

New Age and Neopagan Religions in America

Fantasies of Gender and the Witch in Feminist Theory and Literature

Witchcraft for Sale! Commodity vs. Community in the Neopagan Movement

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